Russia’s withdrawal of troops from its border with Ukraine has eased fears in Ukraine and the West that President Vladimir Putin will launch a full-scale invasion. But the risk of war has not receded, only shifted in a different direction. Daily clashes, one involving 300 armed separatists attacking a border post, signal that the low intensity conflict that began in March has moved into a higher gear.
Russia's War Against Ukraine
McClatchy DC News: Russian pullback from Ukraine border may have eased tensions, but not security concerns
Russia is training, arming and dispatching irregular forces, many of them Russians, including a surprising number of Chechens in eastern Ukraine.
